Morgan Geekie sits as Boston Bruins face Pittsburgh Penguins, while Elias Lindholm returns and Joonas Korpisalo starts.

Saturday's win over the New York Rangers had a weird footnote when Geekie left after the first period for a family matter. Marco Sturm later said everything was okay, but he still entered Sunday as a true game-time call.

With under an hour to go before puck drop, Sturm made it official, Geekie will not play tonight. Steve Conroy added that Michael Eyssimont will draw in as the replacement.

The better news is down the middle, because Elias Lindholm is expected to play after leaving late in the second period Saturday. The Bruins had labeled it a lower-body issue during the game, so seeing him trending toward in is a big deal.

Geekie will remain out with family matter, Eyssimont in. Elias Lindholm expected to play. Korpisalo in net.

Geekie's absence still stings, because he's been one of Boston's finishers all year. He leads the Bruins with 25 goals and has 41 points in 44 games, so you don't just shrug that off.

Morgan Geekie out as Elias Lindholm returns

As a Bruins fan, I'm relieved the family side is “all good,” even if the lineup takes a hit.

Eyssimont is the type of plug-in who keeps the pace high and doesn't overthink his reads. Boston won't ask him to replace Geekie's touch, they'll ask him to keep shifts honest and pressure pucks in the corners.

In net, it looks like Korpisalo gets another chance to build trust after his sharp start against Calgary. He made 28 saves in that 4-1 win, and NHL.com noted it was his first win since Dec. 11.

This is a simple script for Boston, manage pucks at the offensive blue line, don't gift Pittsburgh rush chances, and let Lindholm stabilize the middle. If the Bruins play clean, they've got a real shot to stack another two points after Saturday's explosion.